CITY

Eyes are on Albany this week as we head toward Governor Andrew Cuomo's State of the State and budget address on Wednesday in the capital. The governor has spent the past week rolling out pieces of his agenda, including events and announcements over the weekend, largely focused on infrastructure, but also criminal justice reform, the minimum wage, economic development, and more.

The two houses of the state legislature is in session Monday and Tuesday, and many members are likely to stay in town for the governor's speech on Wednesday. Mayor Bill de Blasio will be in Albany for the governor's speech, which Cuomo has indicated will include a series of measures aimed at fighting homelessness, some of which may encroach on work de Blasio is doing. Cuomo is also expected to unveil new plans around governmental ethics, education, and additional criminal justice reforms. For his part, de Blasio has been releasing new homelessness-related plans, in part, it seems, to head off the governor and assert that he has control over the situation. De Blasio has, however, called on the state to expand the resources it is devoting to supportive housing and other homelessness-prevention measures. [Read our preview of the 2016 Albany session: Corruption, Elections Loom Over Lengthy 2016 Legislative Agenda]

Cuomo will make another announcement Monday, this time on Rev. Al Sharpton's radio show. De Blasio begins his week with two public events in Brooklyn, both related to housing - see details below.

As the week begins, the issue of sexual assault in New York City has become a focus. This, after an increase in reported rapes in 2015, comments by NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton that upset some people, and a horrific gang rape incident in Brooklyn on Thursday evening. A rally and press conference are scheduled for Monday at City Hall - details below.

As always, there's a great deal happening all over the city, with many events to be aware of - read our day-by-day rundown below.

***Do you have events or topics for us to include in an upcoming Week Ahead in New York Politics?E-mail Gotham Gazette editor Ben Max: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.***

The run of the week in detail:

MondayThe New York state legislature is in session on Monday.

At 10 a.m. Monday outside City Hall, legislators and advocates will hold a rally and press conference calling for a different approach to protecting women from rape. City Council Member Laurie Cumbo, who has sponsored related legislation, other elected officials, advocates including National Organization for Women New York City, and others will rally to push the city to take new action and "to tell the NYPD to take rape seriously! Let's call for action, NOT just the "buddy system," to end violence against women," according to NOW.

On Monday at 10:30 a.m. in Manhattan, schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña will visit "PS 126 to make a language access announcement."

Mayor Bill de Blasio begins his week with two public events in Brooklyn, both housing related. At 2 p.m. the mayor "will host a press conference to make an announcement on affordable housing" at 1 Vernon Ave in Brooklyn. At 7:15 p.m., de Blasio "and NYCHA Chair Shola Olatoya will join residents from Wyckoff Gardens for a forum on NextGen Neighborhoods."

At 3 p.m. Monday, "Governor Cuomo makes an announcement on "Keepin' It Real With Reverend Al Sharpton.,"" according to the governor's public schedule.

At 6:30 p.m. on Monday, the Mayor's Community Affairs Unit will hold a small business town hall at Bedford-Stuyvesant's Restoration Plaza. Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce President Carlo Scissura, Department of Small Business Services Commissioner Gregg Bishop and Department of Consumer Affairs Commissioner Julie Menin will be featured speakers at the event.

At 6:30 p.m. Monday, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer will host an information session for the Manhattan Solid Waste Advisory Board at the David N. Dinkins Municipal Building. The BP's office is accepting applications for the board's membership.

At 10 a.m., the Committee on Education will tour J.H.S. 50 John D. Wells in Brooklyn.

At 11 a.m., the Subcommittee on Landmarks, Public Siting and Maritime Uses will meet.

At 1 p.m., the Subcommittee on Planning, Dispositions and Concessions will meet.

At 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, “Fighting the Fight for $15,” a breakfast forum co-sponsored by the Empire Center for Public Policy and the Manhattan Institute, will be held to discuss the effects of a $15 minimum wage on employment of New York State’s unskilled laborers. The event will feature Dr. Douglas Holtz-Eakin, E.J. McMahon, and Dr. Lee Bowes.

Starting Tuesday, candidates must starting filing the latest round of financial disclosures to the New York City Campaign Finance Board. The latest filing period covers all activity through Monday, January 11. Filings are due by midnight on Friday, January 15, and must be performed by candidates with campaign accounts for the upcoming 2017 city election cycle, as well as the upcoming Feb. 23 special election in City Council District 17; and, the recently held special elections in Council Districts 23 and 51.

At 11:30 a.m. Tuesday in Albany, the Center for an Urban Future and the New York Association of Training & Employment Professionals will co-host a symposium called “A Door to Opportunity” to discuss “the lack of financial aid for part-time students.” Gov. Cuomo’s assistant secretary for education, Jay Quaintance, SUNY Empire State College President Merodie A. Hancock, Assemblymember Deborah Glick (the chair of the assembly’s higher education committee), and others will be featured speakers.

At 5:30 p.m. Tuesday in Manhattan, the Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy will host a discussion about “the challenges faced by immigrant-origin children and youth” called “Intersecting Inequalities: Focus on East Harlem.”

At 6:30 p.m., City & State will be hosting its State of the State reception at The Hollow Bar & Kitchen in Albany.

At 7 p.m., Riders Alliance will have a “strategy meeting” at its office about “Discount Public Transit Fares for Low-Income New Yorkers.”

Tuesday evening at 9 p.m. is President Obama’s final State of the Union address.

At 10 a.m., the Committee on General Welfare will hold an oversight hearing on “Hunger in New York City”.

At 1 p.m., the Committee on Veterans will meet for an oversight hearing with its advisory board about “the Impact of Last Year’s Reforms” and for two resolutions.

At 12:30 p.m., Gov. Cuomo will give a speech combining his State of the State and Executive Budget addresses at Albany’s Empire State Plaza Convention Center.

On Wednesday, The Institute for Children, Poverty & Homelessness will start its “Beyond Housing: A National Conversation on Child Homelessness and Poverty 2016” conference. The three-day conference will end on Jan. 15.

City Council Member Corey Johnson is having a community resource fair at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday and a town hall at 7 p.m. at the LGBT Community Center.

At 10 a.m., the Committees on Technology and Public Safety will hold a joint hearing about “Creating an emergency mobile text system.”

At 10 a.m., the Committee on Consumer Affairs will meet about a bill aiming to prohibit the sale and distribution of toys with high levels of dangerous chemicals and a resolution to “Establish lower total content levels of regulated chemicals for children’s toys and to establish consistent standards for all children’s products”.

At 11 a.m., the Committee on Land Use will meet.

At 1 p.m., the Committee on Housing and Buildings will meet on a bill mandating minimum temperatures in buildings and another bill that “would require single-occupant toilet rooms to be usable by persons of any gender.”

At 1 p.m., the Committee on Higher Education will meet for an oversight hearing about the question “Are Post-Secondary Institutions in New York City Adequately Training Teachers?”

At 8 a.m. Thursday, New York City Taxi and Limousine Commissioner Meera Joshi will “discuss the struggles of taxi medallion owners, the rise of Uber, and the future of innovation in the city's for-hire vehicle industry” at a Crain’s Business Breakfast Forum at the New York Athletic Club, moderated by Crain’s editor Erik Engquist and Politico New York reporter Dana Rubinstein.

“The next public meeting of the New York City Campaign Finance Board will be held on January 14, at 10:00 AM.”

At the New York State Legislature Thursday: a 10:30 a.m. joint hearing about “Diversity in the Legal Profession” will be held in Albany by the Assembly Standing Committee on Judiciary and Assembly Subcommittee on Diversity in Law.

At 6:30 p.m. the first public workshop about Inwood’s rezoning will be held by Community Board 12, the Department of City Planning and Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez at P.S. 314.

Thursday evening at 7 p.m. at Fort Washington Collegiate Church will be the first debate in the race to replace retiring Congressional Rep. Charles Rangel. Invited candidates include Suzan Johnson Cook, Adriano Espaillat, Michael Gallagher, Guillermo Linares, Bill Perkins, Adam Clayton Powell IV, Clyde Williams, Keith Wright. The event is being hosted by the Uptown Community Democrats and will be moderated by Juan Manuel Benitez from NY1/NY1 Noticias.

At 10 a.m., the Committee on Transportation will meet for an oversight hearing on “Upgrading New York City Parking Systems for Greater Efficiency, Safety, and Reliability” and the introduction of three bills.

At 1 p.m., the Committee on Environmental Protection will meet about a bill that would necessitate “photovoltaic systems for city-owned buildings.”

***Have events or topics for us to include in an upcoming Week Ahead in New York Politics? E-mail Gotham Gazette executive editor Ben Max any time:
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (please use "For Week Ahead" as email subject).

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